What do Lego starships, Lincoln Log cabins, clay bowls, haircuts, widgets, and cars have in common? They each had to be planned, considered, acknowledged, and then built. Just like the product or service that you are building at your organization, from research papers to financial software, these things take time and consideration before they can become what they were expected to be.

As you have experienced in your position, the most valuable and underutilized tool needed in building the best product or service is active planning. Sure you threw in a couple hours on a draft document to outline the scope of the project, but I’m talking about later down the line. The scope changes, your budget changes, the client changes. But all too often, guess what might not change? The schedule! Now what?

Now you scramble. This is where those DC late nights come in. Not the ones "up at the club," but rather the ones hunched over a desk in digital twilight. The first thing tossed out of your office door into the cold, harsh night is proactive planning. In theory, milestone changes are the best time to re-evaluate. To plan, to draft, to actively expect the next step, and then make it happen! But in real life, it’s easier said and then not done.

In similar fashion, our lives change quickly. We don’t have make time to actively plan and anticipate. Like dodging a ball that is whizzing at your head years ago in gym class, at the last second you hear "Think fast!" But in this Advent season, we’re reminded how important it is for us to really think, to actively consider our lives knowing that Christ is coming back! We have an opportunity to reshape our up time and our down time by going to the Throne of Mercy. We’ve been handed a unique perspective of life and death, a conquering that can take our breath away and give us rest in turbulent times.

As Christ’s incarnation was planned, considered, acknowledged, and fulfilled, so too shall be his triumphant return. May God bless your praise, prayer, fellowship, work, and rest as His return is ushered in and actively expected throughout your daily strivings!